WITNESS

Thank you for considering participation in Witness. I know that agreeing to open a day of your life to a camera and a notebook is not a small thing, and I don't take that lightly. This page is intended to answer some of the questions you might have about the project.

What is the Witness project?

Witness is a documentary photography and narrative non-fiction book that follows twelve people across a single day in their lives. The subjects span six continents and represent the full range of human experience at this moment in history. They will never meet. They share nothing except this time on earth. Together, their days form a single, unbroken portrait of humanity.

Each chapter combines intimate documentary photography with approximately 1,500 to 2,000 words of narrative writing. Words and photographs carry equal weight. Neither exists to illustrate the other.

Witness is the follow-up to Still Here, Paul Choy's documentary book on ancestral communities across eastern and southern Africa.

When will it be published?

Witness will follow Still Here, which is scheduled for release in September 2026. A publication date for Witness has not yet been confirmed, but it is expected in 2027.

Where will it be published?

Witness will be published by Rockhopper Books and will be internationally distributed.

What will I need to do?

Simply live your day as you normally would. While a specific day might be chosen based on your existing plans, there is nothing to prepare, nothing to stage, and nothing to perform specifically for this book. You will live your day as you would if Paul weren't there.

Will I have any say over what's published?

Paul observes and documents. He does not submit copy for approval. This is fundamental to the methodology and is consistent across all twelve subjects. What can be offered is a conversation before publication if you have specific factual concerns. Paul is very experienced in documentary narrative writing, with a strong reputation for capturing the authenticity of the moment.

What kind of photographs will be taken?

Naturalistic, documentary images taken throughout the day. Paul is experienced at working unobtrusively, and you will not be posed or directed. Some images will be intimate simply because capturing your natural, spontaneous humanity is inherently so. Your comfort and consent will be paramount at all times, and Paul has many years of experience working sensitively and responsibly.

How will I be written about?

The writing in Witness operates on a simple principle: Paul documents what is there, not what it means. The words describe the day. They do not interpret the person.

Details that might otherwise be treated as the story will often not be mentioned at all. Not because they are hidden, but because the photographs will carry those moments. A reader will see what they see. Paul does not tell them what to think about it. The camera sees everything. The words say only what matters to the day itself.

Who will read this?

Witness is a hardback with international distribution. The readership is global and the intent is longevity. This is a serious literary project, not a magazine feature, and is designed to be a document of its time.

Why me?

Every subject has been chosen for the humanity of their story rather than the familiarity of their role. You have been approached because of something particular about who you are and what your day represents in this moment of history. The book spans the full range of human experience, and your chapter is a thread that no one else could provide.